#INTRODUCEYOURSELF - Who am I?

A barefoot wedding on the beach of a Game Reserve. And a booted wedding under the citrus trees of a Farm. These are two defining moments in my life.

But; who am I? What defines me? Does my country? My upbringing? My talents? My family? My choices? My beliefs? My job?

My husband calls me his “hippie organic wife”. That is the short version. But it doesn’t merely allude to my long skirts, preference to be barefooted or loving daisies. I’ve buried a husband following his long battle with cancer. Then given up hopes of having children. I’ve been given new life in re-marriage and the birth of my miracle child. I’ve lived in one of South Africa’s most magnificent Game Reserves. I’ve backpacked around the world. I am an artist and bookworm. I’ve been a swimming teacher to tiny children as well as care-giver to the aged. I have lived on the coast, at the foot of the mountains and in the concrete jungle. I have celebrated and grieved and rejoiced again. I have hopes and dreams and yet my home will always be where my husband and children are. Wherever our Heavenly Father leads us.

For the last 6 years we have made a concerted effort to get back to our roots. That covers so many aspects of life. Spiritual. Emotional. Physical. And, for us it included leaving the city. Our little homesteading paradise is in a truly beautiful corner of the South African Karoo. A semi-desert area where we experienced a devastating flood, and are now in a terrible drought. We bought a small farm that had been very neglected and barren for years. We had so many romantic ideas - who wouldn’t - and having 3 chickens, 2 hand raised sheep, a dozen raised vegetable beds and a goat seemed the epitome of farming. Six years ago.

Our feathered and four footed kids have multiplied - as animals do! We now have three of our four parents living with us. One of my autistic stepsons is also here. And the latest and most precious addition; our own not so little baby.

True to homesteading nature there is little we have not attempted. We have had surprising successes as well as almighty failures. Some hobbies have become a little more than that. Other projects were very quickly shelved. We have learnt to pick our battles. Homesteading is quite diverse: solar, beekeeping, fermenting, building, composting, brews, gardens, herbal remedies. The list goes on. And if you are already homesteading then home-birthing and homeschooling seem par for the course. And then there are my beloved goats. That’s where I excel. Goats. Check! Goats milk soap. Check! Goats milk yoghurt. Check. Goats milk cheeses. Check and check.

On joining Steemit you are expected to #introduceyourself. Easy for some. And then there’s me. Being always behind the camera this presents a slight quandary. It has also provoked weeks of philosophical monologue (in my head). I have browsed through Steemit trying to get a better grasp of how the cogs in this cyber crypto machine work. I’ve written a couple blogs but … well … I guess this is me saying "Hi!"